


Another Boy, Another Girl

by KenRik



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adulting, Comedy, Dysfunctional Relationships, Exes, F/M, Focusing on the Wrong Things, Heartbreak, Modern AU, Moving On, boy meets girl, falling in and out of love, mature - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 03:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13561626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KenRik/pseuds/KenRik
Summary: Modern AU. They can't help it. They're drawn to destructive relationships. Which is why, it's better this way - staying friends. Right? Right.





	Another Boy, Another Girl

Maybe, he thought, eyes glazed and lidded as he stared at her sleeping face, caressing her cheek with his thumb, - maybe, this was where he was supposed to be.

.

Another Boy, Another Girl

CHAPTER ONE: Not a good evening, not a bad morning.

.

It was past midnight in the evening. Yet his eyes, darkened with tire from nights of insomnia, bagged and watery, couldn't help but look up defeated at the tablets of Ambien on his bedside table; the same ones by his specs; the same ones calling his name, flirting, tempting, seducing him.

Fuck it. Ben cursed as he slammed a large hand over the meds and took a pill, then another, before falling back in bed with a feeling akin to guilt bubbling in his gut; well, guilt or something less like it.

It was a little lackluster a second after, his gaze was settled at the ceiling above him, both of them, waiting for the drug to make its magic.

How long would it take, he had forgotten. Hux, irritating as he was, had forced him to take it - telling him to literally take a chill-pill for fuck's sake. Ben had never liked the effect Ambien had on him. It made him do stupid things like eat a lot; and e-mail his crazy hippy ex.

Growing restless, he starts drumming his fingers on both his sides. Lying on his back, he looked like a long lump of log thrown astray over a pillowy cloud; between his legs, his comforter was in a mess; feet hidden in cotton socks that his father had given him as a gift last Christmas.

Suddenly, his phone starts to vibrate. Reaching out, he nearly rolls his eyes at the name that pops up on the screen.

Ambien made him do stupid things like eat a lot and e-mail his ex. Or rather, by some lewd design of the universe - Ambien got his ex to e-mail him. Ever his crutch, he gets up from bed and starts dressing up to meet his on and off girlfriend at their regular club, for what he always tells himself - would be the last time.

.

"It was a good night." She nods to herself, a touch of a smile on her lips as she put down her red party cup. "Thanks for inviting me, I needed it." Then, quickly shaking her head, adds, "We needed this. For closure."

"Yeah." The handsome man by her side nods, looks down at nothing on the floor, and stuffs his hands into his jean pockets. "Can't believe it's been almost a year since we've broken up."

"Yeah." Rey mimics his tone, teasing, brain loose with alcohol. "I guess I better be going."

"I'll give you a lift. You live around here, right?"

Rey's lips quirk. "We lived around here. You and I." She points back from herself to the man before her.

"Right."

"But, I will take that offer." She smiles at him. And with a simple gesture, they head to her ex-fiance's car. "A ride home, that's all it is." She thinks to herself as they drove down the block. Then, as the car slows down her house, with her cheeks red from the heat of the alcohol, with her lips tinted, she doesn't know what came over herself when she asks him, "Do you want coffee?"

.

When Ben walked carefully into the night club, wary about his drugged state of mind, he almost misses the call of his name; thinking he was hearing things.

"Ben!" His ex emerges from behind a crowd of people and hugs him; her blonde hair falling loose on her shoulders.

When she pulled away, there was a crease on his forehead as Ben surveyed the immediate vicinity. There was hardly any blaring colorful lights around. People were clad in pretty bland, non-clubbing clothes. And, where the hell was the bar. "This is a lame club." He tells the confused woman in front of him.

"This isn't a bar." She almost laughs. "It's a church." Then, thinking it over, quickly adds, "Rather, it's my church. That life-changing one I've been telling you about."

"The cult?" Ben repeats in a disbelieving cry.

"I told you not to call it that." Then, she takes his arm. "Just give me this, it really gave me clarity. And," She laughs again. "We both know, between the both of us, you're the one who needs it more."

Ben frowns at the woman beaming up at him. And before long, concedes with a sigh. "Whatever."

Inside, the lights seemed to have dimmed. Every word spoken seemed to reach him in a delay; making his fake nods run later and deeper than the others; causing his ex to look at him funny - to which he looks back with a awkward smile. As the priest-man speaks the truth to them on the stage, shouting words, crying, singing, Ben's left eye cringed at the sight of all the devotees, his ex included, who clung to the cult-man's every word. Everyone around him seemed to be in an incredible trance. And here he was, thinking that he was the one on drugs.

"I see some new faces. Stand up! Stand up!" The preacher suddenly cries. And Ben instantly buckles down his ass on his seat. "Come now, don't be shy!"

It takes one nudge from his ex to get him to stand. Damn her effect on him.

"Now everyone, raise your hands! And bless him!"

"Bless him!" The crowd chants.

"Bless him!" The preacher repeats.

"Bless him!"

It took everything in Ben not to implode.

"Do you feel it, child! The power of the risen lord! Do you feel his spirit - the warmth that envelopes you with positive energy! Do you feel it in you!"

Eyes widening, Ben starts to feel his skin tingle. He could feel the ends of his body hair rise. He could feel it all over his extremities - the warmth! The spirit of the risen lord!

"FUCK!" He suddenly explodes. "I am so fucking HIGH." And dashes right out the doors in a trembling, horrified fit.

.

Under the sheets, Rey was frozen. There was a sick feeling in her gut, baring down at her insides. Remorse, was it.

Beside her, at least, wasn't the man she should've loathed to kingdom come. Rather than falling into her ex's charms, she had thrown herself to the neighbor she had always rejected.

Still, after having gone on that horrid dinner with her ex, sex from remorse, from being kind of buzzed, was so sickening - she couldn't even. Last time, she promised herself that the next time she'd do it - it would be with someone she at least liked.

GOD. How pathetic was she?

Unable to take it, she rises out of bed and prayed to god that a good shower would cleanse her off this sick disgusting feeling.

.

It's been a while, he would assume, that he's been walking down the block. He wasn't as baked as he was half an hour ago, that's for sure.

Passing by a convenience store, he suddenly recalls being hungry and decides to grab his favorite food - mass-produced microwave pasta. Inside, the flourescent lights barred down at him that he had to pause to squint a couple of times by the entrance. His hair was in disarray. And he had cold sweats from having walked all the way down from the cult place.

He takes a step forward, almost losing balance, and went straight for the freezers at the back. Grabbing two servings, he quickly went to the cashier to pay.

"Twelve dollars." The bored cashier tells him in a drawl.

Ben then runs his hands all over his pockets. And, eyes twitching, almost exploded. He lost his fucking wallet. "Shit."

The cashier gives him a look over, and, judging by Ben's attire, his pale face, the dark bags on his eyes, decided to give him a sneer.

"What?" Ben barks at him, quick to catch the man's judgmental gaze.

"Look man," The guy starts, "What are you doing? You obviously don't have money."

Hissing, Ben lashes, "I fucking have money, jackass!"

Unmoved, the man raises his chin, "Then, it's twelve bucks."

"I mean," Ben hisses again. "I have money. But, I fucking lost my wallet." Then, adds, realizing, saying to himself, "Fuck. It must have fallen into the donation basket from that fucking cult."

"Sorry, man. You have to leave."

"Come on." Ben was relentless. "I'll return. I'll leave my number. I just live a couple of blocks down."

The cashier just rolls his eyes. "Sure. Why don't you?" He says it so sarcastically that Ben almost - almost reached over the counter to punch him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you. I fucking buy here every fucking day."

"Sure." The man drawls out again. And Ben's eyes seemed to be in a perpetual twitch.

"Fuck you." The tall man spits, suddenly grabbing the items. "I'm fucking leaving."

"Hey! You can't take those!"

"Yeah?" Ben challenges. "Watch me!"

"I'm calling the cops!" The cashier cries. "We've got cameras all over the place!"

"SO FUCKING WHAT?!" Ben yells, throwing his arms to the air.

"Are you insane?!"

"I'LL PAY!" Another voice suddenly butts in in a loud, desperate cry. "I'll pay for him if everyone will just calm down! Bloody hell!" The woman hisses in disbelief. "It's six in the bloody morning!"

The cashier and Ben froze where the were, Ben with his hands up in the air, each holding onto a pack of frozen lasagna; and the cashier, with a hand raised point to a camera at the back, and the other holding onto the landline.

"How much is it?" She asks the cashier in a reprimanding tone; dropping a couple of bills on the counter. "You should be ashamed." She continued to tell the young man. "Can't you take pity on the man, look at him." She tries to be inconspicuous as she says, "The poor man's obviously going through withdrawal."

At this, Ben erupts, "I AM NOT A FUCKING ADDICT!"

.

"I can pay you back." The man tells her for the nth time that morning since the convenience store. Rey just shakes her head as she walked back to her car with her coffee in hand.

"I never said you couldn't."

"Then, let me." The man insists.

"You don't have to." She sighs. "I just wanted to help out." She tells him as she opens her car door. She sighs yet again when the huge man towering her from behind shut the door back.

"I didn't ask for your help."

Rey, this time, faced him with a square expression. "You didn't have to."

"God! Why don't you just let me pay you back!" The man finally explodes in a frustrated cry.

"Fine!" Rey finds herself suddenly yelling back, afraid the man would start balling into a raging tantrum in front of her if she didn't give him what he wanted.

At this, the man suddenly froze. He could still feel the itch on his throat from the scream. "All right, then." He nods rather lamely, then, he points to the direction of his apartment.

Sighing, Rey shakes her head. "Get in." She tells him and soon enough, they drove down to his home. Parking in front, the odd, volatile man quickly got down from her car and raced to his unit. Before long, he was back with a couple of crumpled bills.

When he handed to her her money, he was almost smiling when he said, lingering over her opened car widow, "I told you I had money."

Rey almost smiled. "The guy from the store was a jerk."

Instantly, the eyes of the man lit. And Rey had to stop herself from laughing at the comedic change of his character. "Exactly!"

"All right. I better head out."

"Sure." The man nods awkwardly, eyes dropping to the side. Then, remembering, tells her, "I added a few bucks for breakfast in there. As a thank you."

Rey's lips grinned. "You didn't have you. But, breakfast does sound great."

"Well, bye." The man nods.

"I'm Rey, by the way." Rey quickly adds, leaning over to the passenger seat to catch the retreating man.

"Ben." He bobs his head.

"Well then, Ben." Rey starts to grin. "Want to get breakfast with me?"

At this, Ben's lips break into an awkward smile. "Why not."

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued.


End file.
